Durban - KwaZulu-Natal Police arrested 121 students following protests at the Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) college in Richards Bay on Wednesday, police said.
Police spokesperson Colonel Jay Naicker said: “Students embarked on a violent protest in the early hours of this morning demanding financial assistance. They damaged campus property and set waste bins on fire.”
Units of the police’s public order policing unit and police from Richards Bay descended on the Umfolozi TVET College in Richards Bay.
Naicker said students refused to heed warning from the police. A water cannon was used to restore calm to the campus. He said police were still monitoring the situation.
He said those that were arrested were expected to appear in the Empangeni Magistrate's court soon.
Comment could not be obtained from the college as phones went unanswered.
The Zululand Observer newspaper reported on its website that the Richtek campus where the protests took place had been closed down for the rest of the week.
According to the report, students were banned from the campus, unless in the company of their parents.
Management was due to meet with the parents in the coming days, the newspaper reported.